In less than a week, Northeast Range/Ely got into the water three times and picked up its first dual meet victory of the season.
The win came Sept 19 at Babbitt, as Via DeBeltz and Tuuli Koivisto both had a hand in three first-place finishes in a 46-37 high school girls swimming win over Chisholm.
The Nighthawks also placed eighth among 10 teams at Saturday’s Soderlind Invitational in Duluth, and dropped a 97-70 decision at Two Harbors Tuesday.
After earlier dual meet defeats, things went the Nighthawks’ way right from the start of their battle with the visiting Bluestreaks.
One-two finishes by Koivisto and Raegen Borchert in the 200 individual medley and Lindsay Israel and Avery Bee in the 50 freestyle piled up points, and DeBeltz helped to cement the win with her victory in the 500 freestyle, which came in 6:13.32.
DeBeltz teamed with Koivisto, Jorden Borchert and Lucy Luthens to take the 200 medley relay, while the same foursome combined for a first-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay.
Moon Vetos-Keen also grabbed a first-place finish in the 100 backstroke.
Individual seconds for the Nighthawks also went to Jorden Borchert in the 200 freestyle and Ivy Ohlhauser in the 100 freestyle.
Soderlind Invitiational
The Nighthawks had a solid Saturday in Duluth, facing swimmers from all over the region.
DeBeltz and senior Alyssa Ice led the way individually, with DeBeltz placing third in the 500 freestyle in 6:15.50, and adding a seventh in the 200 freestyle (2:20.02).
Ice was fifth among nearly 40 swimmers in the 50 freestyle, sprinting to a finish in 28.18 seconds.
Koivisto also made the top-eight, taking eighth in the 100 backstroke in 1:16.76.
“The girls gained a lot of experience and confidence swimming at the pool where sections will be held,” said NRE Head Coach Cheri DeBeltz. “There were a few of our girls in top-eight, two relays topeight, and one individual medal for third place.”
Koivisto, Ohlhauser, DeBeltz and Ice combined for an eighth-place finish in the 200 medley relay (2:16.72).
In the 200 freestyle relay, Koivisto, Ice, DeBeltz and Luthens formed an eighth-place combination in 1:57.39.
Ohlhauser, Avery Bee, Luthens and Bela Moskowitz wound up 12th in the 400 freestyle relay (4:50.91).
Ice was 16th in the 100 freestyle and Koivisto placed 16th in the butterfly,.
Milaca won the team title at the meet, and NRE was eighth, ahead of both Duluth East and Ogilvie.
Two Harbors dominated Tuesday’s dual, and the Nighthawks’ only first-place finishes came at the end of the meet when the hosts swam only as exhibition.
DeBeltz had individual second- place finishes in both the 200 and 500 freestyles, and teamed with Koivisto, Israel and Luthens to place second in the 200 medley relay.
Koivisto was the runner-up in the 200 individual medley.
The Nighthawks host Duluth Denfeld at 5 p.m. this Tuesday at the Babbitt pool.
